Shoulder pad



June 24, 1947. ,L E.NMAN 2,422,834

SHOULDER-PAD Filed Jan. 18, 1947 32 INVEN TOR.

the direct contact between such buckle and the skin of the wearer's shoulder. In addition thereto, such underportlon also acts as a cushioning means for the buckle thereby preventing the possibility of such buckle scratching or irritating the wearers shoulder skin. Thus, applicant's buckle-pad may prove to be a very desirable wardrobe item, and quite valuable to the trade commercially.

The variety of possible applications of my novel construction in connection with different articles of apparel, as hereinabove indicated, is

so prolific that for the purpose of illustrating the invention the specific embodiment of my irrvention in its application to a garment exhibiting the greatest difllculties has been selected. Such a garment is one which necessarily must conform most rigidly to the body contours and one which has the field of greatest possible commercial use. For this purpose I have selected for illustration of my novel construction, a garment constituting a brassiere provided with shoulder straps adapted to support a shoulderpad made in accordance with my invention, so that the principles of construction may be best illustrated in the combination of a shoulderpad together with a shoulder strap of a brassiere garment.

The objects of the present invention are attained by a novel construction which will be hereinafter described and illustrated in the drawing in connection with a specific embodiment of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing in which such specific embodiment of my invention is illustrated,

Fig. 1 is a top view of a shoulder-pad in the construction of which my invention has been embodied, showing the position of the shoulderstrap when housed between the jaw portions of the shoulder-pad. 1

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the jaw portions in an open position and also in a closed position, (as indicated by the dotted lines) and also showing the shoulder-strap held between the two jaw portions of the shoulder pad when they are in a locked position.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing the jaw portions and the interlocking means in an unlocked or open position and also showing the manner in which the shoulder-strap is supported by the fastening elements.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the shoulderpad and of the under-arm shield, showing one of the jaw-portions in an open position and the other jaw-portion underlying the brassiere shoulder-strap, including the buckle, and also underlying the shoulder-strap of the under-arm shield.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing how the shoulder-strap is wound around the buckle for length adjustment and how the buckle is held in desired position, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing that the upper jaw-portion may be made of a lesser thickness than that of the underlying jaw-portion.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, in my novel shoulder-pad:

Numeral 5 indicates the body of a shoulderpad having a thickened end portion 6 and thinner side portions 1.. The rear portion 8 is divided into two separable jaw-portions or flaps i! and I2 formed in a manner providing a spaced section I4 between them; the inner faces of the flaps or jaw-portions II and i2 are each provided with snap fasteners 15' and It for a purpose which will be hereinafter explained.

For the purpose of explaining the features of this invention it may be stated that shoulder-pads are being used for the purpose of raising the shoulder of the wearer's garment to a higher level, and for that reason garments are ,usually provided with what is known as padded shoulders, such padded shoulders can be made only in heavier built garments, top coats for example. But ladies wear, particularly blouses, dresses or similar garments, cannot be provided with such padded shoulders. It therefore became a custom that the individual buys coveredshoulder-pads for the purpose of having them sewn on to the inner face of the garment shoulder, but the average person, particularly the one not trained in the sewing profession, usually is at a loss in the art of sewing, and the shoulderpads therefore do not perform the desired function. Various attempts have been made to eliminate the necessityof sewing the shoulderpads on to the inner face of the garment shoulder, some have suggested that the shoulder-pads be secured to the garments by means of pins, others have suggested to sew on snap fasteners to the under-face of the garment shoulder and also to the shoulder-pad, but neither of these suggestions are practical. The fault of such suggestions lies in the fact that pins usually rub and irritate the wearers shoulder, often times injuring such shoulder, or tearing and ruining the wearing apparel which is located under such pad-and-pins arrangement; such arrangements are therefore found to be very unsatisfactory to the wearer.

The same is true with respect to the snap fastener suggestion; first of all, snap fasteners must be obtained in regular sets, otherwise they will not match with each other and will not have the desired frictional engagement for interlocking purposes, and will therefore not be able to hold the shoulder-pad in desired position. Then again, it is actually impossible to arrange the space between each of the snap fasteners which may be. positioned on the inner face of each garment-shoulder to match exactly with the space between each of the snap fasteners that may be,

positioned on the shoulder-pad. It is therefore quite obvious that the applicaton of a shoulderpad to a garment shoulder by means of pins, or snap fasteners, is not practical and will only serve to distort the neat appearance of the garment. It will therefore be seen that resorting to the above methods for the purpose of securing a shoulder pad to the desired position on the wearers shoulder is not at all advisable.

For the above reasons it will be Seen that a shoulder-pad, constructed in accordance with applicant's invention, eliminates completely the necessity of resorting to the aid of pins or to that of sewing for the purpose of securing the shoulder-pad to its proper position upon the wearers shoulder. Applicant's invention teaches an entirely new principle in the application of shoulder-pads to the wearers shoulder. Applicants shoulder-pad does not have to be attached in any way or form to the underface of the shoulders of any of the wearers garments. Every woman usually wears a brassiere; all she has to do is to take the flap or jaw it, of the shoulder-pad 5, and place same under the brassiere shoulder- I strap i8 '(brassire not shown) andthen snap the fastener it into the fastener it thereby closing or interlocking the jaws H and in with each other and bringing same together in a manner whereby they would meet with each other as shown by the dotted lines is (see Fig. 2). Thus the shoulder-pad 5 will be held in place in a manner adapted to support the garment shoulder in a raised position. The strap it may be provided with openings 2i adapted to receive the stud 22 of the snap fastener it when interlocking same with the snap fastener i6, thereby preventing the side movements oi. the shouldenpad t, and also holding same locked in desired position.

The shoulder-pad it may be provided with a buckle 25 for the purpose of adjusting the strap length to desired sizes, in a manner for example as indicated by arrow A; such buckle in its usual position is located upon the wearers shoulder and contacts directly the wearer's shoulder-skin. Ashereinabove pointed out such a method is highly objectionable to the wearer, causing her discomfort and irritation, in general, presenting a vexing problem commercially. But applicants invention solves such vexing problem completely; it eliminates entirely the hereinabove mentioned objectionable features. In applicant's structure such buckle is positioned upon the underlying jaw-portion l2 and is kept away from touching the wearers shoulder-skin, thereby eliminating injuries thereto. Such a method provides comfort and satisfaction to the wearer, and such buckle-pad may prove to be a very desirable wardrobe item, and quite valuable to the trade commercially.

I! desired the buckle 25 may be provided with an opening 26, adapted to receive therethrough one of the studs 22 when the latter is engaging the snap fastener i6; thus such buckle may be held safely in desired position.

The same, as hereinabove explained with respect to shoulder-pads, is also true with respect to underarm dress-shields. A dress-shield is usually sewn on to a garment arm hole or pinned on thereto by pins. As pointed out, sewing is not a practical nor a useful method for the average person to resort to, particularly for one who is not skilled in the sewing profession. Neither is it practical, nor advisable, to use pins for the herein purposes, as pins may injure the wearers under-arm or body, and aretherefore objectionable.

The object of applicant's invention is to eliminate the above-mentioned objectionable features, and instead to provide a safe method for the accomplishment of the herein desired purposes. It may therefore be noted, that by utilizing applicants shoulder-pad as a dress-shield carrier such long-sought-for improved and safe method is hereby being provided. Applicants dress shields 28, made in accordance with applicant's invention, is provided with a shoulder-strap 29 which may be positioned upon the underlying jaw-portion H (see Fig. 4); such jaw-portion I! may then be positioned under the shoulder strap l8 and be interlocked with the jaw-portion ll, thus the shoulder-pad 5 may be positioned upon the wearer's shoulder for the purpose of supporting her garment-shoulder and at the same time act as an under-arm dressshield carrier. The section 28a may be provided withan arm-band 3! adapted to fit around the wearer's am, so that such section 28a may be positioned against the under-portion or the wearcrs arm, whereas the other section of the dress shield it may b positioned against the wearer's body adjacent to her under-arm, thus eliminating the necessity of sewing or pinning the dressshieid to the armhole of the wearer's garment.

The strap may be provided with openings 8|; the edge portions of such openings 3| may be reinforced or covered with suitable means, for example eyelets (not shown). Such openings" may be adapted to be anchored by the snap-fasteners i5 and 16, thus holding the dress shield 28 in desired position. It will be understood that the plurality of openings 3| permits the changing or adjustment of the position or the dress-shield (moving same towards the front, or rear) with respect to the wearers under-arm,

If desired, the strap may be secured permanently to the body 5, and such body 5 may then be secured to the shoulder-strap it, or be removed therefrom whenever desired. Such shoulder-strap l8 does not necessarily have to be that of a brassire; it may be of any other suit- ,able garment, 'or the under-face of garmentshoulders may be provided with shoulder-straps which may be adapted to have the shoulder-pad anchored thereto. The shoulder-pad 5 may be made in any suitable style or size; it may, if so desired, comprise a padded or thicker under-portion 32 and a flap-section 33 of a lesser thickness than that of the padded or thicker portion '32. The front portion of said flap-section 33 may be separated or flared away from the body portion 32 for the purpose of receiving the shoulder-strap l8, and may then be reverted to normal position and be interlocked with the portion 32 by suitable means, for example, fasteners l5 and 16, in a manner securing the shoulder-pad 5 to the strap l8. By separating the front portion of the flapsection 33 from the portion 32, the shoulder-pad '5 may be easily removed from the shoulder strap [8.

From the above it will be seen that I have invented and perfected a shoulder-pad construction of a new and unique design, a shoulder-pad which is practical, useful and therefore of commercial value, and, although I have shown certain preferred forms of illustrations in order to explain and describe the novelty of my invention, yet, by showing such structures, I do not, by any means, limit myself to the structures, nor to the terms used in describing same, as they are for illustrative purposes only. Various suggestions and changes of structure may be resorted to, and I desire it to be understood that I have same in mind when showing and describing this invention, and seek protection by Letters Patent. And, although I have mentioned in describing this invention of what material certain parts may be made, how they may be formed, shaped or styled and how they may be assembled, yet I desire it to be understood that this structure, or parts thereof, may be made or any suitable material, and shaped, formed, styled or arranged in any desir-=- able manner, and assembled in any convenient way so that the parts may be easily taken apart, removed, cleaned, re-attached, replaced and reassembled, and that various changes in detail may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

1. A shoulder-pad comprising a body-portion provided with a plurality of jaw-portions, a spaced section between said Jaw-portions, said spaced section adapted to house a strap positioned between said Jaw-portions, and means for locking said jaw-portions to each other.

anchoring said shoulder-pad to-said strap, said means adapted tobe unlocked from each other I thereby removing said shoulder-pad from saidv strap.

3. Ashoulder-pad comprising, a body portion provided with a plurality of-separable Jaw-portions, the inner face of each of said jaw-portions provided with interlocking means adapted to be interlocked with each other thereby closingsaid jaw-portions, said interlocking means-adapted to be unlocked and separated from each other,

thereby opening said jaw-portions.

4.A shoulder-pad comprising a: body portion.

provided with a plurality of separable jaw -portions, a, spacedsection between said jaw-portions,

each of said jaw-portions provided with an inner face, each of said inner faces provided'with a fastening element, a shoulder-strap adapted to be positioned upon one of said inner faces, the other of said inner faces adapted to be positioned over said strap, the fastening element of one of said inner faces adapted to engage the fastening element of the other of said inner faces, thereby holding said strap in a secured position-within said spaced section.

5. A shoulder-pad comprising a body portion provided with a plurality of separable jaw-portions, a spaced section between said jaw-portions,

% each of said jaw-portions provided with an inner face, each of said inner faces provided with an interlocking element adapted-to cooperate with the interlocking element of the othervof said faces, said spaced section adapted to support a shoulder-strap therebetween, said shoulder-strap provided with means adapted to engage the said interlocking elements for thepurpose of being held in a secure manner in desired position.

6. A shoulder-pad comprising a body portion provided with a plurality of separable jaw-portions, a spaced section between said jaw-portions, each of said jaw-portions provided with an inner face, each of said inner faces provided with snap fasteners, said spaced section adapted to support a shoulder-strap therebetween, said shoulderstrap provided with an opening, the snap fastener of one of said faces provided with a stud adapted to be positioned within said opening and be interlocked with the snap fastener of the other of said faces, thereby closing said jaw-portions and holding said shoulder-pad in desired position, said stud adapted to be unlocked from said snap fastener and be removed from said opening thereby opening said jaw-portions and enabling the removal of said shoulder-pad from said shoulderstrap.

7. A shoulder-pad comprising a body portion provided with a plurality of jaw-portions, a spaced section between said jaw-portions, said spaced section adapted to enclose a portion of a shoulder-strap, one of said jaw-portions adapted to provide cushioning means for said shoulderstrap portion, means for securing said shoulderpad to said shoulder-strap portion, said shoulderpad adapted to be removed from said shoulderstrap portion.

'8. A shoulder-pad comprising a'body portion 8 provided with a plurality of jaw-portions, a spaced section between said jaw-portions, said spaced section adapted to encase a portion of said shoulder-strap, said shoulder-strap portion pro- 5. vided with a buckle, one of said ,iaw-portions adapted to provide cushioning means for said shoulder-strap portion'and also for said buckle, means for securing said shoulder-pad to said strap portion, said shoulder-pad adapted to be removed from said shoulder-strap.

9. A' shoulder-pad comprising a body portion provided with a flap-section, a part of said body portion adapted to be positioned under a shoulder-strap, said flap-section adapted to overlay 5 said shoulder-strap and be secured to said body portion, thereby holding said shoulder-pad in desired position, said shoulder-pad adapted to be removed from said shoulder-strap. j 10. A shoulder-pad comprising a body-portion 2 and a flap-section, the rear portion of said flapsection being secured to said body-portion, the frontportion of said flap-section adapted to be flared away from said body-portion,- said bodyportion and said flap-section adapted to support a shoulder-strap therebetween, said front portion provided with fastening means adapted to engage fastening elements located at said bodyportion thereby locking said front portion to said body-portion and securing said shoulder-pad to said shoulder-strap.

11. Ashoulder-pad comprising a body-portion provided with a flaring element, the free end portion of said flaring element provided with fastening means, said body-portion provided with fastening elements, said flaring element adapted to enclose a shoulder-strap, the fastening means of said flaring element adapted to be interlocked with the fastening elements of said body-portion thereby connecting the free end 0 portion of said flared element to said bodyportion and securing said shoulder-pad to said shoulder-strap, said fastening means adapted to be unlocked from said fastening element thereby separating the free end portion of said flared element from said body-portion for the purpose of removing said shoulder-pad from said shoulder-strap.

12. A cushioning shoulder-padcomprising a body-portion and a flap-section, said body-portion and said flap-section adapted to encase a shoulder-strap therebetween in a manner securing said pad to said shoulder-strap, said flapsection adapted to be flared away from said shoulder-strap thereby permitting the removal of said pad from said strap.

, JACOB L. KLEINMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS v France Feb. 9, 1939 

